Why I build things

I’m a designer by profession, but I don’t think design is the only thing that defines me. I enjoy creating things, understanding people, having long conversations, travelling without much of a plan, taking photos of moments I want to remember, finding good music, discovering places, and occasionally just sitting somewhere with a coffee and watching life happen.

I grew up in Galle, a beautiful little city in the south of Sri Lanka. Maybe growing up around the ocean, old architecture, tropical colours and a city with so much character had something to do with the way I started looking at things. I’ve always noticed details — how something looks, how it feels, why something works and why something just feels a little off.

Eventually, that curiosity found its way into design.

Today, I design digital products and experiences. Most of my days are spent somewhere between people, problems, pixels and conversations. I like taking complicated things and making them feel a little simpler and more human.

But for me, design has never been only about making beautiful interfaces.

It is about people.

I’m interested in why we behave the way we do, what makes something comfortable to use, what frustrates us, what makes us trust something, and sometimes what makes an experience memorable without us even knowing why.

That curiosity has taken me through years of working with products, teams and businesses, from getting deep into UX problems and building design systems to researching accessibility, experimenting with AI and talking about design with the next generation of designers. I’ve been lucky enough to teach, mentor, consult and share some of what I’ve learned along the way.

And I’m still learning.

Probably always will be.

Outside the screens, there is another side of me.

I love music. I DJ when I get the chance. I enjoy photography, architecture, interiors, branding and anything that gives me an excuse to create. I like travelling, meeting people and collecting stories from places. I appreciate good food, good conversations and those unexpectedly beautiful moments that usually happen when nobody is trying too hard to create them.

I also believe life doesn’t need to be figured out all at once.

I’m approaching my thirties with more questions than answers, and strangely, I like that. There are places I still want to see, things I want to build, people I want to meet, mistakes I haven’t made yet and versions of myself I haven’t discovered.

This website is a home for some of that.

Not just my work.

My thoughts, experiments, photographs, stories, things I’m learning, things I’m questioning, and probably a few completely random things that I simply find interesting.

I don’t really want this space to feel like a polished professional profile. There are enough places on the internet for that.

I want this one to feel human.

So if you came here looking for the designer — yes, you’ll find him.

But hopefully you’ll also get to know Jima.

I enjoy designing, and I enjoy consulting people on design for comfort.

But mostly, I’m just curious about people, experiences and this strange, beautiful life we’re all trying to figure out.